Hearing protector



Nov. 5, 1968 F. P. BEGUIN E A HEARING PROTECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1966 Nov. 5, 1968 F. P. BEGUIN AL HEARING PROTECTOR S SheetS-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1966 INVENTORS I? BEG U N FRED BY FRANCIS 7.' 4865 5 im %flz M F. P. BEGUIN ET AL Nov. 5, 1968 HEARING PROTECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet (5 Filed Aug. 25 1966 INVENTORS FRD P BEGU/N ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,408,658 HEARING PROTECTOR Fred P. Beguin, Sturbridge, and Francis T. Ashe, Southbridge, Mass., assignors, by mesne assignments, to

American Optical Company, Southbridge, Mass., a

corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 575,149 2 Claims. (Cl. 2--209) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A low-cost hearing protector comprising an open ended rigid ear cup lined with a relatively thick layer of soft and readily compressible sound dampening material:. The thick edge of the lining is extended outwardly beyond the open end of the cup as means for cushioning the cup against the head of a wearer. A thin highly flexible cover having a centrally disposed elongated opening therein extends over the open end of the cup. The edge of the cover is flanged over the outer side of the cup wherewith the cover may be gripped and rotated on the cup for preselected orientation of the elongated opening.

This invention relates to hearing protectors and, more particularly, to a novel and improved hearing protector adapted for use in general industrial environments where only limited noise attenuation is required.

Muff-type hearing protectors are usually recommended for use in high noise environments. These hearing protectors have rigid noise-shielding cups for enclosing the ears and have rigid flanges secured to the rims of the cups for supporting cushions which are intended to conform to the wearers head to form acoustical seals between the cups and the head. These rigid cup flanges and the cushions required thereon add considerably to the cost of muff-type hearing protectors making the widespread use of such protectors in general industrial environments quite expensive. The rigid cup flanges also make it difiicult for the flange cushions to conform to heads of various sizes and configurations with any suitable degree of comfort. The flanges interfere especially with conforming of the flange cushions around the temple pieces of eyeglasses worn with the hearing protector. This lack of comfort makes it diflicult to induce workmen to wear mutt-type protectors even where noise attenuation is absolutely required.

In lower noise environments where less noise attenuation is required, the use of ear plugs is frequently recommended. However, various ear plug sizes are required to fit different people so that the proper size of ear plug is not always available for each workman; ear plugs are small and are easily lost or misplaced; and supervisory personnel cannot readily observe whether workmen are actually wearing ear plugs in recommended areas. Because of these disadvantages, hearing protection programs based on the use of ear plugs in general industrial environments are frequently unsuccessful.

It is an object of this invention to provide novel and improved muff-type hearing protectors which are particularly adapted for widespread use in industrial environments where noise attenuation is desirable but is not absolutely required; to provide muff-type hearing protectors having novel and improved noise-shielding cups; to provide muff-type hearing protectors which are so comfortable to wear that they will be readily worn by workmen in general industrial environments; to provide such hearing protectors which are of such inexpensive construction that they are adapted for widespread use in general industrial environments; to provide such hearing protector cups which fit comfortably on heads of various sizes and configurations and which even fit com fortably over the temple pieces of eyeglasses worn with the hearing protector cups; and to provide such improved hearing protector cups which effect significant noise attenuation.

Briefly described, the novel and improved muff-type hearing protector of this invention includes apair of noise-shielding cups, each embodying a rigid cup having an open end which is large enough to fit over the auricle of an ear for accommodating the auricle within the cup. A flexible member or cover is secured to the cup and preferably has a pliable sheet-shaped portion which extends over and substantially covers the open end of.

holding the pliable sheet-shaped portion of the flexiblev cover distended outwardly from the open end of the rigid cup. The hearing protector also preferably includes head band means or the like for supporting the noiseshielding cups on a wearers head.

In this construction, the flexible cup cover is capable of flexing to a substantial extent to conform comfortably to a head of any size or configuration. The resilient compressible lining of the rigid cup comfortably conforms the pliable sheet-shaped portion of the cup cover to a wearers head to provide a comfortable and effective acoustical seal between the cup and head, even when temple pieces of eyeglasses worn with the hearing protector are disposed between the flexible cup cover and the wearers head. The bearing of the resilient cup lining on the pliable cup cover also tends to damp vibrational flexing of the cup cover.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention, each rigid noise-shielding cup is round adjacent its open end and the flexible cover is attached to the open end of the cup in such a way that it can be rotated on the cup.

This construction permits accurate and comfortable orientation of the elongated cover opening around the auricle of an ear regardless of the position of the hearing protector head band with respect to the wearers head.

Other objects, advantages and details of the hearing,

protector provided by this invention appear in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of this.

invention, the detailed descripjon referring to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the mulf-type hearing protector of this invention embodying the improved hearing protector cups of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the hearing protectorsembly of the components of the hearing protector pro vided by this invention; and

FIG. 8 is a section view similar to FIG. 4 illustrating an alternative embodiment of this invention.

Referring to the drawings, 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicates the novel and improved muff-type hearing protectorv of this invention which is shown to include a pair of novel and improved noise-shielding cups 12. As illustrated parl 3 ticularly in FIG, 4, each of the heari 12 embodies a rigid cup 14 having an open end 16, the rigid cup preferably being formed of a suitable plastic material such as polyoxymethylene. The cup 14 preferably has its largest diameter adjacent the open end of the cup and the open cup end is preferably large enough to fit easily over the auricle of an ear for accommodating the auricle within the cup. An ear auricle accommodated within the cup 14 is indicated at 18 in FIG. 5. i p

For use in mounting the hearing protector cups 12 in the hearing protector '19, each of'the rigid plastic cups 14 preferably has a pair of integrally molded bosses 20 apertured as at 22 to detachably receive rotatable cup mounting studs 24 as shown particularly in FIG. 6. The hearing protector 10 then preferably includes head band means 26 for supporting the hearing protector cups 12. For example, the headband 26 preferably includes a pair of suitably shaped, resilient wire arms 28 which are held and arepartially enclosed by a flat plastic or rubber tube 30. The opposite ends of the wire head band armsfit through apertures 32 in the mounting studs 24 with'friction fits and small caps 34 of plastic or metal are cemented or otherwise fixed on the ends of the wire arms. In this construction, the rigid noise-shielding cups 14 are of inexpensive design and the mounting studs 24 acoustically seal the cup apertures 22. The hearing protector cups 12 are easily adjusted up and down on the wire head band arms and remain in any position of adjustment on the arms by reason of the friction fit between the arms and the mounting studs 24. Of course, the caps 34 prevent sliding of the protector cups off the head band arms 28. As indicated by the arrow 36 in FIG. 1, the hearing protector cups 12 are free to pivot on the mounting studs 24.

In accordance with this invention, a flexible member or cover 38 is mounted on each rigid cup 14. For this purpose, the flexible cover 38 is preferably provided with a flange 40 which fits closely around the rigid cup 14 at the open cup end, the increasingly diameter of the cup adjacent its open end providing a surface to be gripped by the cover flange 40. See FIG. 4. The flexible cover 38 also includes a portion 42 which extends over and substantially covers the open end 16 of the rigid cup, the portion 42 being permitted to flex throughout its extent over the open cup end. The portion 42 of the flexible cover member has an elongated opening 44 which is adapted to fit closely around the juncture of an ear auricle with the head as will be understood. See FIG. 5. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the flexible cover member 38 is formed of a pliable material such as polyvinyl chloride, the cover portion 42 comprising a simple sheet-shaped element of such material. A preferred material for the cover 38 is a commercially available polyvinyl chloride containing a metallic ingredient for increasing the weight of the material. 7

In accordance with this invention, a lining 46 of a resilient, compressible, sound-deadening cellular material is disposed within each rigid cup 14 to bear against the flexible cover 38 entirely around the cover opening 44 at a location spaced from the cover opening, as indicated at 47. The lining 46 preferably comprises a normally discshaped element which is relatively large with respect to the cup 14, the lining being partially compressed in being disposed within the rigid cup 14 so that the lining resiliently bears or presses against the cup and the flexible cover 38 for normally distending the portion 42 of the cover outwardly from the open end 16 of the rigid cup to assume the somewhat conical shape shown in FIG. 4. A preferred lining material is open cell, polyurethane foam sponge but any other suitably resilient sound-deadening material can also be used within the scope of this invention.

It will be understood that the hearing protector cup 12 of this invention embodies inexpensive elements which .8. P t ct Q 62 are very easily assembled. As shown in FlG. 7, the cup 12 essentially embodies only the rigid cup 14, the discshaped sponge lining 46, and the flexible cover 38. These elements are easily assembled by slightly stretching the cover member flange oyer the open end of the cup 14 to enclose the lining 46=within-the cup.;Alternately, the cover can be ,attached'to the cup-and the lining can be inserted into the cup through the cover opening 44.

It will also beunderstood by reference toFIGS. 1 and 5 that the hearing protector lfl' iseasily and comfortably mounted on a wearers head. That is, the protector cups 12 may be grasped and sp readapart for inserting the auricles of thewearers ears inside the cups, the" resilience of the'head band arms 28 then serving to hold the cups against the 'wearers head indicated at 48 in FIG. 5..The sliding andpivotal adjustment of the cups 12 on the head band assures a comfortable positioning of theicups over the'ears. As shown -in FIG. 5; the flexible cover'ofthe hearing protectorcups readily-'conformsto a large surfacearea 'of the wearers head to assure a comfortable and effective acoustical seal betweenithe cup and-head. The resilient lining of the hearing protectorcups not only serves to deaden sound vibrations set up by modal vibrations within the rigid cup 14 but also serves to resiliently conform and cushion the flexible cup cover against the wearers head. As the flexible cup cover is adapted to flex throughout its entire extent over the open end of the rigid cup, the cover conforms readily to any head size or configuration or even over the temple pieces of eyeglasses (not shown) which may be worn with the hearing protector. The bearing of the resilient lining against the flexible cup cover also serves to damp any resonance vibrations of the cupt'o prevent any pumping orpiston-like movement of the cup with respect to the head and to assure that the cup 12 provides significant sound attenuation. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the flexible cover 38 is rotatable on the rigid cup 14, as indicated by the arrow 50, so that the elongated cup opening 44 can beoriented at different positions with respect to the head band 18, as indicated by the broken lines 52. In this arrangement, the head band 18 can be worn over the top or behind the rear of the wearers head as preferred while-the cover opening 44 can be oriented with the longest cups of the opening aligned with the longest dimension of the auricle of the wearers ear to fit comfortably around the auricle.

Many variations of the hearing protector-10* are possible within thes'cope of this invention and it should be understood that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents thereof falling 'within the scope of the appended claims. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the flexible cover 38 formed of a pliable material such as polyvinyl chloride may be replaced with a flexible cover 54 formed of a'shaperetaining flexible material such as polyethylene. An additional cushion means 53 such as a ring of closed cell polyurethane foam sponge may also be cemented or otherwise attached to the cover 54 around the cover opening 55' as will be understood. The rigid cup 14 may be replaced with a cup 56 having a bead 58 around the open end 60 of the cup, the cover 54 then having a flange 61 which is adapted to snap over and grip the cup bead 58, as shown in FIG '8'. Of course, the head band means 18 maybe replaced with any other conventional means such as a helmet or hat for supporting the 'hearing protector cups 12 upon a' wearers head. Further, any conventional means maybeemployed other than 'the mounting studs24 foi attaching the hearing protector cups to cup-supporting'means such as" the head band.

It should also lie-understood that the novel noiseshielding cup; 12 of this invention can also'be employed in connection with microphone means' to provide a mouth piecernicrophon unit. For example, as shown in FIG. 8,

' a mouthpiece unit62 providedby this'in'ventionernbodies aTr'igid cup SGhaVing a flexible cover 54 and mounts a microphone 64 on a support 66 fixed 'within the cup 56. The cup 56 is apertured at 68 to receive a grommet 70 through which microphone leads 72 can extend from within the cup 56 and a resilient compressible lining 74 disposed within the cup to bear against the flexible cover is notched as at 76 to fit around the microphone support 66, as shown in FIG. 8. As will be understood, the flexible cover 54 readily conforms to the users head around his mouth permitting the user to speak directly into the microphone while shielding the microphone from the effects of ambient noise. Any conventional means (not shown) can be employed for venting the mouthpiece microphone unit, if desired.

We claim:

1. A noise shielding device comprising a rigid cup havin ga circular open end of an inner diametral dimension adapted to be substantially greater than the maximum normal size of a human ear auricle, a thick soft and readily compressible member lining the inside surface of said cup and having an annular edge extended outwardly substantially beyond said end of said rigid cup, a thin annular highly flexible cup cover extending completely over said edge of said lining and having a centrally disposed diametrically aligned elongated opening adapted to fit about the ear auricle relatively closely around the root thereof, said cover further having a circular peripheral flange fitted externally intimately over said circular open end of said cup in frictional engagement therewith whereby said cover may be gripped and rotated on said cup for preselected orientation of said elongated opening whereby, when fitted over said ear auricle against a head, said flexible cover forms an acoustical seal between said head and cup with cushioning between said seal and end of said rigid cup being effected by said extended edge of said lining to damp vibrational flexing of the cover and resonant pumping of the cup with respect to the head.

2. A noise shielding device as set forth in claim 1 further including a portion of increasing diameter extending circumferentially about said rigid cup adjacent said open end thereof over which said peripheral flange of said cup cover is rotatably fitted whereby said portion avoids accidental withdrawal of said cover from said cup during rotation of said cup and during occurrances of removal of the device from the head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,184,996 12/1939 Jacobs 2209 2,801,423 8/1957 Shaw et al 2209 3,051,961 9/1962 Clark 2209 3,085,253 4/1963 Ulrich et al. 2209 3,112,493 12/1963 Greenberg 2209 3,117,575 1/1964 Carrell et al 128152 3,122,613 2/1964 Gongoll 179182 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

